Musings of a Twenty Something

Exploring LA: Grand Central Market

Since moving to Pasadena last Fall, I’ve been thrilled at the opportunity to live near Los Angeles. There are so many places to discover, from restaurants to hiking trails to museums and more—the list never ends! My heart still yearns for San Diego, but for now I relish living so close to La La Land.

Last week we embarked on one of our first adventures in the city. Mike’s birthday is Valentine’s Day, so we try to do something a little different each year to make the day feel special. This year we went on a hike in Beverly Hills area before exploring Grand Central Market for the first time.

If you are visiting LA, I recommend planning a quick visit to Grand Central Market. It reminds me a bit of Pike Place in Seattle, but on a smaller scale (and without the fish throwing). There’s a range of cuisine available, such as Italian, Mexican, Japanese, Chinese, American, and the list goes on. If you’re visiting with a group of people with a variety of tastes, there is something for everyone and I love that most about Grand Central Market.

The delicious smells wafting from each stand made it difficult to choose where to eat, but we’ve been determined to try Eggslut for a long time so we happily settled on this for lunch.

I ordered the Bacon, Egg & Cheese sandwich while Mike chose the Fairfax. From the second he took his first bite, Mike was hooked on his sandwich. Unfortunately, the same could not be said for my experience. I didn’t realize there was ketchup on it and had I known, I would have ordered my sandwich without it and then probably having nothing but great things to say. At this point though, I’d rather save my money and make a better breakfast sandwich at home. However, Mike and I agree that if you’re in the area and craving an egg sandwich, this is still a good option.

After eating, I fell straight into a food coma and coffee became necessary to get me out of it. We saw G & B Coffee as we drove up to the Market, so we figured this would be a good place to try. I have a never-ending list on my phone of coffee spots in LA I want to check out, and while G & B Coffee wasn’t on my list before—it should have been. Not only do their items pack a ton of flavor, their customer service is excellent.

I ordered a latte and Mike ordered an espresso, split, with a chocolate chip cookie. The latte art was cute and appropriately themed for the holiday, and it tasted incredible. Most of the lattes I’ve ordered at other establishments have been bitter or flat, and missing a little something extra. But this latte was creamy with the right amount of rich coffee-flavor. I’d definitely recommend it to anyone trying to get their caffeine fix without loading up on the sugary drinks offered at chain coffee shops (looking at you, Starbucks).

The espresso was also delicious, but I would warn you against ordering it if you are new to espresso because the rich-bitter taste was strong. If you’re a coffee-connoisseur however, you will greatly enjoy the espresso offered at G & B Coffee.

Our first experience at Grand Central Market was a fun one, and Mike and I are both looking forward to more trips in the future. We can’t wait to try all food from the vendors that are available! In the meantime, we’ll be browsing through the Market’s Instagram profile, which features a ton of posts of the delicious food offered each day. If you still need convincing to give this Market a visit, these pictures should do the trick 🙂